Feelings
by XHeartofaDragonX
Summary: Ron returns to Hogwarts for his 6th year, and finds the courage to tell Hermione his feelings about her. [OLD! NOT GOING TO TOUCH THIS ONE! LEAVING IT HOW IT IS!]
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling owns the awesomeness that is Harry Potter, and sadly I do not.

**Introduction**

It was August, and the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were to set off for Platform 9 ¾ the following morning. Some were eager to see their friends. Others were dreading their return. Still more were wondering what their first year at the extraordinary building would be like. But one, one was even more nervous than his first day at the school. His ears were constantly red, as red as his hair, and his freckles stood out like a giant on a Quidditch field. He had grown a bit over the summer, but _only_ a bit. He stood just over six feet, with long limbs, but a well built body from playing Quidditch with his brothers over the summer.

I am talking, of course, about Ronald Weasley.

The young man, aged fifteen, was going to enter is sixth year at Hogwarts. He was glad to be able to see his friends again at the school soon, and actually hear their voices aloud, and not read their words on paper. They had been in touch through letters. Every few days he would send one or two out, and would receive one, two, or sometimes three in the next following days. He had saved every letter, and kept them in a shoebox under his bed.

Ron was standing next to his bed, his trunk open atop it. He shoved a few last things in the trunk, and managed to somehow close it. It was overstuffed, but he wanted to make sure that he forgot nothing. Imagine how embarrassing it would be to be eating breakfast with your friends, and have an owl deliver a package from your mum saying you've forgotten clean underwear, and included them in the package.

He looked around his room one more time to be _absolutely_ sure he'd gotten everything. When he was satisfied, he picked up his trunk (with much difficulty), and set it by the door, so he could wake up, get dressed, and be out the downstairs for breakfast.

"Boys! Dinner!" Mrs. Weasley called up the stairs. Ron grinned, and his stomach rumbled in response, as if to say, "Finally! I haven't been full since that turkey sandwich for lunch!" and with that, Ron flew down the stairs, nearly knocking over Ginny, his twin brothers, Fred and George, not too far behind him.

Dinner was a satisfying meal of pork chops, cut green beans, and boiled potatoes. Ron cleared his plate before anyone else, half the reason being his hunger, and the other half, nervousness.

The reason Ron was so nervous was not because he was returning to Professor Snape, nor was it because he had to learn new incantations, dangerous creatures, and potions. No, the reason he was so nervous was because he was finally going to tell Hermione Granger his feelings for her.

**A/N:** Yes. Short. I figured ending the chappy with that line would be…er…I dunno. I just like it that way. Anyways, tell me what you think! I'm hoping this story goes as smoothly as I would like it to…um…yes…review! I love you!


	2. Hogwarts Express

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling is still cooler than me….

Hogwarts Express

Ron sat in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. He sat with his two best friends, who I'm sure you already know are Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. He was sitting alone on his side of the compartment, and Harry was directly in front of his. Hermione was settled next to Harry.

"How was your holiday, Ron?" came Hermione's voice, breaking the awkward silence.

"Er…it was alright, I s'pose." His ears turned red. "No need to ask how yours was, Harry. By your letters I can guess how dreadful it must've been." Ron hoped that if he kept his attention set on Harry, he wouldn't be so nervous. Hermione wouldn't notice if he ignored her a bit. She already thought that he hated her. Or so Ron thought…

Pigwidgeon fluttered around in his cage joyfully above Ron's head. He was flying in circles as fast as his wings would carry him, and was hooting happily. Hedwig sat perfectly still, and as straight as her back would allow. She glared t the small bird, the turned around so her back was facing him.

Ron looked up and frowned. _'Not now, Pig, please!' _He stood up on his seat so he was at eye-level with his owl.

"Pig!" He shouted, "Shut _up, _you rutty bird! Can't you do anything besides squawk!" Pig stopped flying, sat on his perch and looked at Ron. "Thank you." Pig hooted happily, and tucked his head under his wing. Ron jumped down from his seat and plopped into it. "I hate that thing…" He said.

"Oh, no you don't. If you really hated him, you wouldn't still have him." said Hermione.

"Shut up, 'Mione. You're no help." Ron looked up, noticing the lady with the cart had just rolled by. "Aw, bloody hell!" He stood up, slid open the compartment door, and ran after the lady.

Hermione and Harry looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"He's mad. All he cares about is food. You'd think he would respect us a little more." Hermione stood up and poked her head out of the door. "Ron! I want a cauldron cake! And Harry wants a pumpkin pasty!"

"I never said I wanted anything, Hermione. Ron doesn't have to buy me anything; I've got enough money to buy myself a pumpkin pasty."

"Oh, stop it. He's your best friend. He'll be delighted to get you something."

"What about you? Is he delighted to get you something?"

"…No." Harry raised an eyebrow. Ron had told him in a letter his feelings about Hermione, so he knew he would be more than happy to buy her a cauldron cake.

"Somehow, I think he'll buy you more than what you want."

"Why would he do that?" Harry shrugged. Ron came back into the compartment, sliding it closed with his foot once he was inside. He dropped all his sweets onto the seat across from Hermione. Sitting down in his place, he handed Harry his pumpkin pasty, and Hermione her cauldron cake.

"Thank you, Ron." Hermione said. She looked at Harry and raised her eyebrows. Harry shrugged.

"No problem. Er…you're welcome." He added. He certainly didn't want to start off his year at Hogwarts with Hermione thinking he was rude, as she had always thought.

The three sat there eating, talking, and laughing for about an hour until Harry excused himself, muttering something about the bathroom. Hermione was looking out the window, watching as the mountains rolled by. Ron was absentmindedly staring at Hermione. He opened his mouth to speak when out of the corner of his eye he saw that the lady with the cart had returned, this time serving lunch instead of snacks. Ron insisted on buying Hermione her lunch as well, but she refused and bought herself a sandwich.

By the time Harry returned to the compartment, nearly forty-five minutes had passed. Ron and Hermione had finished eating, and were now talking about Ron's hair. Hermione insisted that he cut it, but Ron refused, defending himself by saying "What's it to you what I look like? I like my hair this length, and if you've got a problem with it, then too bad." He knew this was rude, of course, but he loved the way his hair looked. _'Not exactly starting out good, but why's she so concerned?'_

"I just want you to look nice, Ron. This is your sixth year at Hogwarts. You're growing up, you're very handsome, and if some girl were interested in you, she definitely wouldn't want your hair to be as long as hers."

"My hair is not as long as a girl's." At this point, Harry had walked in and taken his seat next to Hermione. "Harry, is my hair as long as a girl's hair?"

"Some of them," Harry pointed out, examining his best mate's shoulder-length hair. Hermione sighed.

"Look, you don't have to get all upset about it, Ron. You're right, it's your hair, and if you like it like that, then keep it that way." Hermione said, noticing the sad look that was shading over Ron's handsome face.

"Yeah, whatever," said the redhead, "It isn't like there's any girl out there that's interested in me, anyway. Unless you know something that I don't, Herms."

"Don't call me that. I don't know of any girls that fancy you, but not many have seen you yet, have they?" She smiled.

"Are you saying that I'm a sexy beast that women can't resist?" Ron said, grinning mischievously. Harry choked on his lunch, laughing, and Hermione frowned at Ron.

"That isn't what I said. I meant that you look far better than you did last year, and now that we're all more mature, girls are going to start thinking differently about you."

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Harry interrupted. "If you two will stop _flirting_, then I would be very happy to explain why I was gone so long." The two stopped their bickering, ignored the part about flirting (which made Ron's stomach turn), and drew their attention towards Harry.

"Thank you. Now, first things first, I want the two of you to know that I did not spend three quarters of an hour in the loo." Ron grinned. "Instead, I was having a lovely time lecturing Malfoy on 'Clean and Clear'." Hermione laughed, but Ron looked puzzled.

"What's 'Clean and Clear'?"

"Well, Dudley had to use it on his backside because the fat lard did nothing but sit around, causing his fat arse to get all sweaty, and break out into a horrible case of acne, and also a reasonable amount of pain whenever he did manage to sit down again. Malfoy, however, got the zits all over his face, and looks much like a bee stung him over and over again. He claims he's done everything he can to get rid of them, but being who he is, he refuses to use muggle products, and so he suffers greatly."

By this time Ron was cracking up, and Hermione was stifling her fit of giggles into her robes, which she had pulled out of her trunk. When she had regained sanity, she suggested that they get changed. The other two agreed, and they got their own robes out, headed separate ways, and the rest of the train ride was mostly talking, laughing, visiting with other friends, and of course a little bit of something else.

Flirting.

**A/N:** I was going to make this longer, which is why I took forever to post this. I wrote it in a composition notebook, and thought I was going to put the Sorting in here as well, but after much contemplating, I realized that there isn't much that can happen during the Sorting, and so it would be rather boring. Sure, they could pull each other into a corner and eat each others faces (not literally), but that's a bit too fast for them, and I want this to go smoothly. Not like some stories in which it's like.

"Nice to see you again, Hermione. I totally want you." ATTACK

No. Not me…Well, sometimes me, but not for this story. ANYWAY, that was it, so review now! Terrible? Okay? Sucked? Desperate for more? I wanna know! hugsluvskisses

Thanks to those who reviewed chapter 1:

_The Lady Luthien_

_Meredith A. Jones_

_Naska_


End file.
